I don't know why I kept hesitating and delaying my viewing of Terrence Malick's latest, I had heard about the advanced buzz and I already didn't like his last film To The Wonder, which felt like a rehash and half assed imitation of his prior, more creatively inspiring work. Suffice to say that I did end up watching Knight Of Cups recently and it wasn't very good. I really hate to ask this question, but has he lost it? After The Tree Of life it seemed like nothing he would make after that would ever touch that incredible masterwork. It is the movie of his career and , so far at least, the movie of the decade.
Knight of Cups is, as mentioned, a pale imitation of the Malickian vibe that worked so well in The Thin Red Line and, for the most part, The New World. It is a movie that never really finds its footing and is stale for the most of its running time. A crying shame if you ask me, this comes to us from an auteur that took a lifetime to follow up his 1978 film Days Of Heaven, more precisely twenty years. Yikes, and now he's release 4 films in the past ten years - has his iconic status diminished because of the productivity and the fact that now we don't really see him as this perfect director anymore? I don't think so, but if this continues it'll be very disappointing.
Knight Of Cups premiered a year ago at the Berlinale to very mixed reviews, which delayed it for what seemed like forever. A lukewarmly met Terrence Malick film is a producers nightmare. His films are already not big box office draws, but when you add terrible reviews to the mix how the hell will you get people to show up and watch?
He has two projects still in development, both look like they might be completed soon. He's currently filming Weightless and also has that very intriguing TOF companion piece, a documentary/ficition mix about the beginning of time, narrated by Brad Pitt no less. Its been rumored completed for the last 5 years now. Every year when the Cannes lineup gets revealed we cross our fingers it's there, maybe this year? There's Terrence Malick for you in a nutshell: Unpredictable.
Knight of Cups is, as mentioned, a pale imitation of the Malickian vibe that worked so well in The Thin Red Line and, for the most part, The New World. It is a movie that never really finds its footing and is stale for the most of its running time. A crying shame if you ask me, this comes to us from an auteur that took a lifetime to follow up his 1978 film Days Of Heaven, more precisely twenty years. Yikes, and now he's release 4 films in the past ten years - has his iconic status diminished because of the productivity and the fact that now we don't really see him as this perfect director anymore? I don't think so, but if this continues it'll be very disappointing.
Knight Of Cups premiered a year ago at the Berlinale to very mixed reviews, which delayed it for what seemed like forever. A lukewarmly met Terrence Malick film is a producers nightmare. His films are already not big box office draws, but when you add terrible reviews to the mix how the hell will you get people to show up and watch?
He has two projects still in development, both look like they might be completed soon. He's currently filming Weightless and also has that very intriguing TOF companion piece, a documentary/ficition mix about the beginning of time, narrated by Brad Pitt no less. Its been rumored completed for the last 5 years now. Every year when the Cannes lineup gets revealed we cross our fingers it's there, maybe this year? There's Terrence Malick for you in a nutshell: Unpredictable.